Canadian Infographics & Data Visualization

Spying on Enemies, Allies, and Ordinary People

Proponents of electronic surveillance claim that it is of crucial importance for national security. The largest surveillance program in history – collecting internet and phone data of millions of users – received a lot of criticism. And rightfully so. Most people are unaware of the fact that they are monitored, tracked, and watched, with emails and chats intercepted. The Guardian and Washington Post reported that NSA was gathering emails, photographs, video, and audio of customers of big tech giants such as Apple, Skype, Facebook, and Google. Of course, they denied all of this. Many call it unlawful invasion of privacy. But many countries engage in electronic surveillance and espionage operations. Think of the Cold War. We have a long history of spying on enemies and allies. We live in a chaotic world. Two views on spying – which one is right? You choose.